IS THIS FISH REEF SAFE!?

[Jiggaboowhat]

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I have the chance to buy a rare pair of fish for my fish tank. they are called "masked swallowtail angelfish pair" They are supposedly very rare, but they are supposed to be reef safe. i just wanted some replies, because i heard that no angels are truly reefsafe. Does anyone own these fish or know anything about them?!?! 8O Thanks!

 

[Kimber]

The only thing I could find in Scott Michael's guide to reef fishes that sounded remotely like that is a Purple masked angel. The scientific name is paracentropyge venusta. As far as reef suitability, he says "can be kept in a reef aquarium, but may nip at large-polyped stony corals and clam mantles." He goes on to say that this fish is rated a 2 on a scale of 1-5 for aquarium suitability. (1 being the worst.) These fish are difficult to feed--most fish of this rating do not acclimate to an aquarium, refuse to feed and waste away. Hope this helps.

 

[texman]

I think that those angels would be "reef safe" I have had a pair of Watanabe angels in the past, which are very similar. They probably will not touch your corals. The angel to which you are referring is not a venustus angel. You can find some info in the Angelfishes and Butterfly fishes book or look on the website www.themarinecenter.com. If they are already eating prepared food, then I think that they would fare quite well in a reef tank.

 

[npaden]

Any of the genicanthus species angels should be as reef safe as any fish can be. As far as rare I'm not sure exactly how rare they are. Japanese Swallotails and Red Sea Zebra Angels are relatively common and run from $50 to $150. Do they look like the fish in this pic:

http://www.themarinecenter.com./genican ... usmale.htm

FWIW, Nathan

 

[Anonymous]

Not to butt in on a topic, but how about decorator crabs? Are they reef safe? The website I looked at says yes and the fish store guy says no. He hasnt steered me wrong so far, but I would like a second opinion.